Art needs funding

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

And funding needs planning.

1 million in hard cash can either be a quick fix or the beginning of something long-lasting and real. Thing is, art that is original and genuinely creative requires sustained funding over time, so…

1: Get a money person who understands investment and is not a monster. (Tricky, but doable)

2. Invest the 1 million wisely without killing the planet. (Curtail that desire to binge)

3. Have clear milestones regarding funding goals, and don’t forget admin. (Paychecks need paying)

4. Set up rock solid protections so no one can get greedy and conniving without all alarms blaring. (Think long-term)

5. Plan the funding cycle well. (Have a number and stick to it)

6. Be clear on your mission statement. “Just vibes” is a disservice to the artists. You are dealing with people’s creative output and livelihoods. (Be respectful, consistent, and fair)

7. Set up a robust infrastructure to sustainably fund artists over time. (Build it and they will come)

8. Have a nice award artists can take home with them (Hold it up and say, “Cheese!”)

© 2025 threegoodwords

Ignorance is no excuse

What’s a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind?

There used to be a certain patience towards ignorance. A kind of leniency towards stupidity. “Well, they don’t know better,” used to be a valid caveat.

Now, no more.

What has become terribly evident is that humans need to be wise to survive.

The stark reality is:

Stupidity and ignorance are equal to viciousness and malice, given their outcome. Abject ignorance is a serious health hazard, and idiocy is a danger to us all.

Added to that:

Intelligence is not enough, either. Empathy paired with intelligence is what is needed to keep the species alive and thriving.

You’re smart, fine. But are you wise?

Can you heal a broken heart? Can you nourish a soul? Have you grown within?  Are you aware of yourself and others? Are you capable of generosity? Do you listen to understand? Have you matured enough to comprehend love?

The hard truth is:

Wisdom is not a perk of life. It is a requirement to survive and thrive.

#foodforthought

Story Time

Describe something you learned in high school.

We had fantastic history teachers who taught pattern recognition and insisted on historical context.

They were big on Nothing is inevitable and Look at who’s telling the story. 

One history teacher especially was all about Double-check your sources because liars be lying.

They took their time to show us how oftentimes the biggest lies are the ones that make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Basically, if something felt like the perfect explanation with zero nuance, then someone was selling a story for some kind of profit. They set up exercises so we could find the story, identify the profit, and figure out the nuance.

Rather than tell, they showed us the complexity of human experience. And, they made us think, even when we didn’t want to. They made us sit in our discomfort. And gave us room to argue our points, especially if we argued well. That didn’t mean they agreed. They expected us to take the heat if we were already trying to prove them wrong.

Were they perfect? No. They had their foibles. But they were genuine educators who were passionate about their subject and were given the space to actually teach it. Which is how we got a capital E Education, and yes, I am grateful.

Makes The Horrors pretty horrible, though, ngl…

#timelines

Moment

And there is a moment
And for a second it all makes sense
And then it slips
And you end up chasing that something-or-other all your life

© 2021 threegoodwords

creature comforts

beach wild

The problem is:
how to be good and have everything,
how to do well without being bad about it,
how to have your cake and eat it all.

The problem is:
growing up with all those nifty nice,
smooth and sweet, industrialised
creature comforts

And then realise, a bit too late maybe
that to make them so nice
at such a great price
very many that live and breathe and grow
in spaces far away from your own
are brought verily verily terribly low
all the way to the borders
of those awful terms: pollution,  extinction
all out destruction.

And yet you were told,
over and over and oh so bold,
You, yes, you: you are the good one.

*

The problem is: what do you do
now that you’ve gotten used to
those comforts that are just too good
and you need them too, to survive, stay alive,
up to date and in time
in this superfast, new and improved
digital age of ultracool

where the phones are smart
and the tablets tools
where cats go viral
and ignoring that may brand you a fool
in the race to be first, to be in the know
of everything at work, at home, in school,
in the world…

For this planet that is Home
our home, no other
just one, you hear, just one

Our planet is now so connected
the globe seems like a crowded ball
full of people shouting, tweeting
trying, spying, lying
through their virtual teeth

simply to stay connected
and not fall off the face of the earth
deep down into has-been’s, where-are-they-now’s,
and what-happened-to’s,
that dreaded place: ‘I don’t know’,
that awful place: ‘Who?’

For We, the creatures, we cannot stand our own discomfort,
that tiny little feeling
that something’s not quite right
somewhere, somehow…

No, We, the creatures, we create our comfort
by telling, typing, filming, sharing
to make sure someone is there
to prove yes, you, you are real
there is nothing to worry about
move along here
and yes, we like you
see the numbers, it’s all there
it’s not a dream, it’s all true:
you really are the good one,
you, yes, you, and you too.

*

So, what to do now, now,
yes right now
before the sun grows dark in our eyes
before those infamous four riders
come bounding down
announcing, business like,
that it is time, it is time
for several plagues, lots of fire, unprecedented disaster,
that will all happen to you and you and you
and all the me’s existing, all the good ones too.

For the Riders don’t care about clicks and tweets
anything virtual, in the air
Once they arrive
it’s dislike time,
and it’ll keep persisting
no matter how others may keep on insisting
that it’s all lies lies lies!

The Four really don’t care
standing at the sidelines
in their fine suits and silk ties
reading through the script, announcing how
the winds will burn, the skies will fall
and the earth will burst like water
at half past two, precisely
only *breaking news*: it will be hottest, hottest lava
Not water at all
that, my dear viewers, will be very much gone.

And when the seas rise and the lands fall
from their civilised heights
We’ll be Back to Nature all right
And know it as it was once known
as what we, the creatures, live and breath and walk on
the real Mother of All.

The problem is:
that all this bother will happen
just when you sat down to drink that 
latte
and listen to another hand-played, over-made
hyperlinked song.

© 2014 threegoodwords

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